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Why do we support Donald Trump? The perverse consequences of alliance politics

The familiar basis of US regional engagement that has been in place for half a century may be replaced by a more ‘transactional’ approach to foreign policy that places ‘America’s national interest’ ahead of all others. Yet Australia’s political and strategic elites continue to offer largely uncritical support for the alliance in general and even for Trump himself. This takes some explaining and ought to be the subject of intense debate and scrutiny. Remarkably enough, however, the conventional wisdom about the benefits of the alliance and the need for Australia to support the US remains in place. This podcast by Prof. Mark Beeson, considers why this is the case and what it might mean.